Three senior girls from the York County School System were recently selected to represent the Tidewater area in the Virginia Distinguished Young Women Scholarship Program to be held in Lynchburg. This scholarship program encourages continued education and provides college scholarships. It is designed to help young women develop self-confidence and the ability to interview effectively, to speak in public, to perform on stage, and to build interpersonal relationships. With the support and participation of volunteers, this program provided more than $65 million in cash and college scholarships across the nation last year and hopes to do the same this year.Each participant competed in five categories including fitness, talent, self-expression, interview, and scholastics. The DYW program is a national scholarship program that inspires high school senior girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments. Pictured left to right are: Megan Bland who took home the Self-Expression and Fitness Awards; Grace Fotis who won the Interview Award; Katie Liu captured the Talent Award while Winnie Zhang won the Scholastics Award and Elizabeth Owens, the Spirit Award. Local participants from York county who will advance to the state level of competition include: Grace Fotis, Tabb High School, and Katie Liu and Megan Bland both of Grafton High School. These young ladies will represent York county and vie for the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Virginia and a chance to win a variety of scholarships. The state program will be held in Lynchburg on January 7th. Any high school junior girls who wish to apply for next year, should sign up on the national website at www.distinguishedYW.org or contact Jo Anne Fontaine at dfontaine5@cox.net.